At the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar delivered remarks that raised eyebrows and sparked debate. He stated, “Terrorism, extremism, and trade can’t go together,” prompting questions about the implications of his words. Some observers were left wondering whether Jaishankar was subtly pointing a finger at India itself.
There can be no trade with terrorism, well , Fine. But the real question is: who is the terrorist in this region that not only threatens the peace of this area but also poses a challenge to global security?
Let’s set aside the Kulbhushan network and the current position of Pakistan for a moment. We can also put aside the issue of Indian proxies in Balochistan for the moment despite the fact that there has been abundant evidence of sponsoring terrorism by India. Let’s look into the recent narrative of caanadian government.
It’s important to note that India is not a neighbor of Canada. If this distant country has felt compelled to raise its voice against Indian terrorism, it becomes evident who the real terrorist force in this region is.
The RCMP statement on violent criminal activity occurring in Canada with connections to agents of the Government of India offers a lot in this regard.
It states :
- An extraordinary situation is compelling us to speak about what we have discovered in our multiple ongoing investigations into the involvement of agents of the Government of India in serious criminal activity in Canada. It is not our normal process to publicly disclose information about ongoing investigations, in an effort to preserve their integrity. However, we feel it is necessary to do so at this time due to the significant threat to public safety in our country.
- Investigations have revealed that Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India, either directly or through their proxies; and other individuals who acted voluntarily or through coercion.
- Evidence also shows that a wide variety of entities in Canada and abroad have been used by agents of the Government of India to collect information. Some of these individuals and businesses were coerced and threatened into working for the Government of India. The information collected for the Government of India is then used to target members of the South Asian community.
- This evidence was presented directly to Government of India officials, urging their cooperation in stemming the violence and requesting our law enforcement agencies work together to address these issues.
- Through our national taskforce and other investigative efforts, the RCMP has obtained evidence that demonstrates four very serious issues:
- Violent extremism impacting both countries;
- Links tying agents of the Government of India (GOI) to homicides and violent acts;
- The use of organized crime to create a perception of an unsafe environmenttargeting the South Asian Community in Canada; and
- Interference into democratic processes.
One wonders if Mr. Jay Shankar has charge sheeted his own country.
